The Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has launched a round-the-clock call centre to give advice on fertiliser management, weed control, pest management and irrigation in rice production.

Farmers anywhere in the country can call the helpline 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and get expert advice on rice farming free of charge.

The service was formally launched on Wednesday, 25 June, at a workshop titled "Role of print and electronic media in disseminating weather forecast-based agricultural advice" at the BRRI office in Gazipur.

BRRI director (research) and chief of the BRRI Agromet Lab Dr Md Rafiqul Islam presided over the event, with the institute's director general Dr Mohammad Khalequzzaman as chief guest. Dr ABM Zahid Hossain, coordinator of the BRRI Agromet Lab, presented the keynote paper. The workshop was moderated by BRRI senior communication officer Dr Mohammad Abdul Momin, and Niaz Md Farhat Rahman, PSO of the Agricultural Statistics division and a member of the Agromet Lab, also spoke.

Dr Mohammad Khalequzzaman said farmers were constantly facing losses in rice production because of adverse weather. To tell them what to do about these problems, a 24-hour call centre called the rice helpline had been launched. By calling 09644300300, farmers will get solutions to all their problems, with scientists of the BRRI Agromet Lab providing the service directly, so farmers will no longer face hassle in getting such information and advice.

The director general said rice farming was not only farmers' livelihood but the foundation of the country's food security. Farmers face challenges at every stage, such as sudden weather changes, diseases, pest attacks and correct fertiliser use, and timely advice is essential. Through the 24-hour helpline, he said, BRRI had taken the initiative to take that advice to farmers' doorsteps.

Dr Md Rafiqul Islam said that to enter the era of science-based, technology-driven farming, information and services must be within farmers' reach, and the Agromet Lab was working as a very effective platform for this. Beyond the helpline, BRRI wants to deliver weather-based farming information to farmers through apps and SMS in future, he said. To this end, BRRI has trained more than 50,000 people in the past five years.

Seeking cooperation from the media, the agricultural extension department and local administration, he said it was not possible for BRRI alone to meet all farmers' needs. If the media spread information about the service, farmers across the country would benefit, and technology-based sustainable agriculture could be achieved by working together.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.